Emily correctly spelled "dundrearies" in the third round of competition in National Harbor, Maryland, on Wednesday. She advanced their by correctly spelling "soliloquy" in the second round earlier in the day.

Emily qualified for her return to the national contest by correctly spelling "sassafras" to win the Berks County Spelling Bee. Other words she correctly spelled locally include hollandaise, sashimi, flotilla, alkali and serendipity.

Emily, adopted from China, hopes to one day visit her birth country. She participates in her school jazz band and serves as captain of the Reading Olympics team.

The National Spelling Bee's semifinals and championship finals are set to be held Thursday.

The winner among the 281 students competing in this year's bee will be awarded a $30,000 cash prize, a $2,500 U.S. savings bond and an engraved trophy.

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